About Jimmy Lindsay

JIMMY LINDSAY: Jimmy Lindsay is a genuine reggae/soul artist with a cultured
musical history. He began as a soul singer in the sixties and came to fame as
the front man of Cymande in the 70’s
... His undisputed excellence when commanding vocal authority and
technique is delivered with a remarkable confidence and passion. Jimmy then
went on to a solo career and found himself at the forefront of British reggae
aligning himself with reggae greats as Joe Gibbs, Jimmy Cliff, Bob Andy and Bob
Marley. Further, Jimmy’s song writing delves deeper into the roots of reggae
and communicates a powerful message through his Jamaican roots touching your
soul and dancing feet. The strength of song writing is documented on 3 solo
albums ‘Where Is Your Love’, ‘Children Of Rastafari’, and Jimmy Lindsay and
Rasuji Live at The Venue 1980. He has performed alongside Ronnie Lane, E.L.P, Steel Pulse, Status
Quo and many contemporaries. His chart success includes his superlative
re-working of the 1977 British Reggae award wining single Commodores’ ‘Easy’
and ‘Ain’t No Sunshine’. Jimmy has his own record label Music Hive and returns
to re-deliver the magic of British Black Music once again.

In 2006 I received a call from my old friend Sam Kelly inviting me to come and perform a Cymande celebration gig with other x-members of the band at The London Jazz Festival.

Sam had his own band Station House which comprised Paul Jobson on Keyboard; Spy Austin on Bass; TJ Johnson on Guitar and Sam on Drums. I joined them along with Mike Rose and Pablo Gonzales and we added another sax player and some backing singers, UK Funk All Stars played their first gig.

We then went on to perform at The Corn Exchange Brighton (Brighton Jazz Festival) in 2007; the televised BBC 2 “Soul Britannia All Stars @ the Barbican London in addition to taking part in The Soul Britannia All Stars Tour 2007. After this we performed under the name Cymande11 at The Jazz Café London and The Big Chill 2007 New Morning, Paris, France. We then played at the Ealing Blues Festival in 2008. In 2009 I performed at The British Lovers Rock Award Show where I received an award for my contribution to Lovers Rock and British Black Music.

Throughout 2010 to date I have been busy on a U.K./European tour with CYMANDE II, celebrating the music of “Cymande”. I started 2011 with a solo gig at the Hootananny in Brixton, London, SW9 under Jimmy Lindsay unplugged with only my brother Calvin on Keyboard accompanying me. It turned out to be an historic gig being the first Reggae Artist to perform an unplugged set. The show was just great thanks to a wonderful audience. I would return again next year to produce a Live and Fully Loaded film and record the set for release as a DVD live album in 2014.

We decided to put together some of my original solo songs with some of the Cymande’s songs we had been performing and start a new project giving birth to the formation of Fowokan, with a reduced line up now comprising of Tony Quanta on Guitar; Jerome Marcus on Percussion; Spy Austin on Bass; Paul Jobson on Keyboard; Sam Kelly on Drums and me on Vocals. After playing dates in the UK and Europe we went into the studio to record a few songs for a promo EP and came out with an album and a new sense of musical direction. With Fowokan’s reggae style we produced the album ‘Shadow of Rasta’ which was released in 2012 and we have followed that with several tours in Europe and selected dates in the UK. More recently we did a summer tour of Germany in 2013 which also included performances at The Street Life Festival in Liverkeusen; Emden Festival, Kilimanjaro (Dunkirk France) and Le Kalif (Rouen France)

I am currently in the process of recording a new Jimmy Lindsay album “More Love” which will be my first release in over thirty years. The first single will be available to download free early 2014 from my official on-line store jlmuk.com. I hope to be be releasing soon the Live and Fully Loaded DVD and CD recorded at the Hootananny in Brixton in January 2013, with the new album “More Love” to follow later on in the year. More dates on the road with Fowokan and hopefully a Jimmy Lindsay UK and European tour for 2014 -2015.

Now all I need is the support from my fans and friends around the world to make this dream come true. I hope I can count on your support and help to spread the word!!

Jimmy Lindsay is back

SAM KELLY DRUMS (BV) MICHAEL (Lally) CAREY JEROME MARCUS PAUL JOBSON

My childhood Friend Guitar (BV) Percussion (BV) Keyboard (MD.BV)

TONT QUANTA SPY AUSTIN DIANE TUPPEN KIM MARCUS

Guitar (BV) Bass (BV) Tour Manager Willow Studio

WENDY AULD PREMA RONNONGEN CHRISTINE MAASS

Photographer Photographer Photographer

The Wailers

I first met the wailers in the early 70s on their first trip to the UK they were all living in a house in Neasden north London as we arrived we could hear the sound of music coming from the building when we got inside the band was in full swing and sounding good this would be the only time I would hear them play live, when they finished rehearsing we had a chat about what they wanted to do in the Uk and how we might be able to help them find an agent and get some bookings we also discovered that they had very little money so we gave them some money and other things

Not too long after our meeting Jonny Nash linked up with them and they played a few show supporting him that led to Chris Blackwell becoming aware of them and as they say the rest is history.

My next meeting with Bob and the band would be during the recording of the Exodus album

Ivor Stedman and I went to see them in Chelsea they were staying in a house owned by Chris on arrival my attention was drawn to something which I will mention later, it was good to see them again and we spent a couple of days hanging out with them and listening to tracks from the album before they returned to Jamaica that would be the last time I would see Bob or Carly in the flesh

In 1982 I was in Jamaica staying at Jack Ruby’s house I remember his Birthday party Gregory Isaac performed a great set and we had a really good time, the following morning Family Man and I was talking about Bob and the way he died, at the end of our conversation I felt we both thought there there was more to the story.

Bob became massive worldwide and he got too big and influential in America imaging for a moment you are a member of the senate or congress and your son or daughter start to question your morals because Bobs music was about truth and right and cause them to realise that your establishment is about supressing the truth and controlling the people

You would see that as a threat to your establishment and we all know what happens to the people who have tried to challenge the establishment Martin Luther King, Malcolm X and many more.

after my chat with Family Man I believe what I saw in that house in Chelsea was the beginning of the conspiracy get rid of Bob, I don’t have any evidence to prove this but I honestly feel there is more to this story

Sam Kelly. We first met at the age of about five when my family moved to Mountain View, Kingston, Jamaica. About two years after we met and became friends his parent left Jamaica for a new life in England and Sam and his brother George followed them some months later.

At about the same time my mother decided to go to England and she would stay with Mr and Mrs Kelly until she was able to get a room of her own. I would follow my mother just over a year later arriving in 1959.

Once again Sam lived across the road from me in Brixton; we went to the same primary and secondary school and were also part of the same band Cymand’e in the seventies. He is godfather to my first child Jamie. He was a member of my band Rasuji and now we have come full circle because we are united again as members of Fowokan.

One summer’s day I was walking home from school when I heard some music coming from a garage down a little alley. I went to see what it was all about and found some boys making a lot of noise with drums and guitars that would be the start of my musical journey. We became known as ‘The Healers’ a soul/ska/reggae band that would go on to play all over the country. Three of the young men in the band were Winston Bennett (I am his daughter’s godfather); Itel Walker and Ivor Stedman who are still my friends to this date.

After ‘The Healers’ I went on to perform under ‘Jimmy Lindsay and the Beans’; ‘Pure Medicine The Garments’; ‘Black Faith’; ‘Good Relation’; ‘Shashamani’ and ‘Jimmy Lindsay and Rasuji’.

Winston Bennett and I would also become members in another band some years later called ‘The Garments of’ which Larrington Walker was a part of. We had some great times on the road which included six weeks in Rabat; six weeks in Casablanca and three months in Spain. Larrington and I became good friends and he along with Milton Myrie; Ray Carless and Lindel Lewis have all played an important part in my music and I am very grateful to them for that.

Ken Edwards (Admiral Ken) from the All Star Club near Liverpool Street Station is one of the few men in Black music that I have a lot of respect for because of his honesty and integrity. If all the promoters; managers and agents involved in the business had his integrity, we would all be more successful.

Count Suckle from the Q Club is from the old school and his word is his bond. I have performed at the Q Club more times than I can remember and I have never had any problems at the end of the night about getting paid. Like Ken, Suckle respect the musicians who perform in his Club. Wednesday night was musicians’ night at the Q Club. If you’re not working, you went down to the Q Club for a jam session with people like Ran John Holder, Carl Douglas, Colin Young Teddy Brown, Eddy Grant, Edwin Star, Danny Ray, just to name a few.

Some of the biggest names in music performed in the Q Club or would hang out there when they’re not working. from Steve Wonder; The Jackson Five; Lulu; Tom Jones; Little Richard; The Temptations; Nicky Thomas; The Drifters; Nancy Wilson; Doris Troy; Madelyn Bell; Billy Preston; Junior Walker; Billy Stewart; Fela Kuti; Ginger Baker; Jonny Nash; Jackie Edwards and many more even the great Muhammad Ali.

The Flamingo Club in London W1 was one of my early haunts. I preformed there several time during the late sixties. It was a great feeling being on the same stage as some of the people I admired and look up to in the

music business including people like Georgie Fame, Zoot Money, Spencer Davies, Fats Domino, PP Arnold, Fontella Bass, Jimmy McGriff and the list could go on and on.

Brixton is my hometown. It was also home to the Ram Jam Club on Brixton Road, SW9 and like the Q Club I can’t remember the number of times I have performed there. I met my idol Otis Redding at the Ram Jam Club. I was lucky enough to meet other musical performers like Nina Simone. Unfortunately I missed out on the night of Jimi Hendrix historic performance because I was working but we use to hale each other when we met up in a motorway café while on the road.